Needles, Poop and Dirty Laundry

Day One

It was a busy day yesterday, in a good way.

First of all, I had the vet out for the animals’ needles and Sully health and dental check. Everything checked out, and everyone got their rabies vacs. I asked the vet about Sully’s weight, as a few people have commented on his being ribby. She said that since he’s a draft cross and genetically prone to both obesity and founder, he’s absolutely perfect. So I can stop worrying! His teeth also checked out, so he won’t need floating until next spring, which cut the vet bill in half

While I waited on the vet to arrive, I started moving some manure around the pasture. In an effort to both nourish the grass and to change Sully’s grazing pattern so he’s not eating it bare in some spots, I’ve decided to take my wheelbarrow and pitchfork and redistribute poo. That sounds like a beaurocratic position, no? I picked up, broke up and spread about 5 wheelbarrow loads in just under 2 hours. It was hard work, but I didn’t mind it. It will be an ongoing project this summer, but really good exercise

Sprinkled between was some housework, yardwork, cow wrangling and, of course chickens. Today I am getting the tire garden cleaned out and washing horse blankets. Speaking of which, I’ve come up with a really good way to do the latter. I took my garden sprayer/feeder and washed it out, added a scoop of Oxy Clean and set it to the jet spray setting. I have gotten the rain sheet cleaned using this method, and it seems to be working really well, except that I ran the well dry! I have to wait for it to fill back up before I can do the heavyweight one. I’ll let you know if they look/smell clean when I’m done with them!

…and today.

 

Fun Facts

Since September 7 of this year, Sully and I have ridden 51 miles in just over 9 hours.

I can’t walk into the kitchen without at least 3 items falling from my hands, off a shelf or counter, or out of the refrigerator.

Seeing bugs of any kind en mass, in life, in pictures or on television, gives me instant gooseflesh.

I am impatient. I wish I weren’t.

My favorite song at the moment is by Canadian actors Paul Gross and David Keeley. It’s called Cherry Beach.

I detest reality television.

I frequently procrastinate on simple tasks and then wonder why on earth I did.

I think pranks are unkind, and I would never play one on anyone.

I made this this afternoon:

It is pumpkin. I was born and [mostly] raised in the South, and I think sweet potato pie is a crime against nature.

That is all. For now.

The Art of Repurposing

Well, it’s not really art. But it’s nice to be able to take an item that has outlived its original purpose and give it a whole new purpose. I did this with Sully’s old halter. It was a draft size, and always looked too big and bulky on his head; even though Sully’s head is huge, it’s surprisingly fine, almost Arabian in appearance. He lacks the Roman nose and boxy muzzle of the draft line.

The halter new, back in 2009. Not bad for a $5 halter!

But I used this halter for 3 years, after purchasing it for just $5 from Horseloverz.com. The throat snap finally sprung, and I used it for a few more months before upgrading. But all the webbing is in tact, and the hardware, though partially rusted in parts, is still good. So I took it and turned it into a harness for Blue.

Our first time out with the new harness.

In the past 3 years, I’ve repeatedly attempted to train Blue to stay with us while we’re riding, but since our riding is all on the road, I’ve never been able to get him to keep up. He’s kind of a slow dog, doing pretty well with sprinting, but he has a hard time keeping pace. So in addition to just keeping him close, I also need a way to get him on the horse with me for short rests. This harness allows me to comfortably and safely lift him off the ground, and then “buckle him in” to the back of the saddle so he doesn’t slide off. In time, I hope he’ll both be able to keep up, and “ride” on Sully’s rump – you know, like the heelers ride the backs of the sheep during musters!

He and Sully both did great on our first time out.

I have a light-weight nylon cord that I clip to the saddle so I don’t drop it; it serves to remind Blue of his boundaries, and is quick release should we run into trouble.

 

New Blog Launch Update

Proof it is still private, but I am working on making it public. Thanks for you patience while I sort it out.

 

I have decided to separate the family journal (this blog) from my photo journaling. My rationale behind this is that some people don’t care for the clunky, slow-loading pages caused by lots of pictures. I also really like to write, and some people don’t like to read. So there you have it.

If you’re into pictures, check out Proof It. I will also be providing a link in the sidebar.

Thanks for reading, and looking!

Thanks, Jenny!

Check

Got it up and functioning first thing Monday morning. Ain't it purty?

 

"Hey, Mr. Brown!"

 

Chuck at large...

 

Sully, mildy interested in at-large-Chuck.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Gone to the Birds

We’re being over-run by wild turkeys this year. While these were taken a few weeks ago, I see this flock, 40-50 birds strong, out my kitchen window every day.

This is just a small portion of the flock, possibly younger birds? On the weekend I walked out the back door and startled them, and they all took wing. They are very noisy, very clumsy fliers. It was quite a sight!